The Art of Sharing
The Art of Sharing
The opportunity to celebrate the arrival of spring and come together for a moment of sharing is here. One can still create shared moments despite having to downsize the table and celebrate together a moment of communion around a good meal and a beautiful tablescape.
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Round the table, around the world: how to arrange your cutlery?
Your dinner is ready. Your guests are on their way. Behind the scenes of your evening, a ballet has just started. Plates and glasses are already in place, it is now a question of placing the cutlery. Forks, knives, spoons, the choreography continues.
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Back to the Basics
The French-style of serving, like the English, style requires that the knife be placed on the right side of the plate and the fork on the left. Let's go back in time to discover its origin. The fork was introduced to the table in 1324 at the court of Charles IV the Fair. Its use is was modernized for foods that cannot be grasped with your fingers, such as baked apples. The fork flourished in the Medici era, when high-ranking people wore huge ruffles around their necks, the famous "strawberry". The fork prevented staining. Meanwhile, the knife appeared long before the fork. With it's very sharp surface, it was used to prick food to bring it to the mouth. With the arrival of the fork, its design transformed from sharp to a gradually rounded tip. Nevertheless, it continued to remain useful and morphed into a functional complement to the fork. This is why one will cut with the knife in their right hand while a fork in their left hand is used to bring the food to the mouth.
The Perfect Position
The blade of the knife is turned towards the plate to prevent your guests from cutting themselves. For the fork and the spoon, the presentation id different. In France, the coat of arms of large houses were adorned on the outside of the cutlery. To be able to see them, the back of the fork and the spoon were placed upward while the spikes faced towards the table. For the English service, it is the opposite, the coat of arms are stamped inside of the cutlery, while the spikes are directed towards the sky and the dish of the spoon towards the ground.
Breaking Free from the Norm
The aforementioned, are the standard for dining but following the rules is up to you. Why not place your cutlery in the center of the table in a Mood? Let your guests serve themselves with this coveted, iconic piece. Alternatively, your cutlery can be presented with ribbon and placed on a nice cloth napkin. You will then see that, alongside the antiquated rules, the art of the table is adaptable to your needs, desires and personal style.